Splitting machine



July 20, 1937. C, HILKE v007,321

SPLITTING MACHINE A TTORNE Y July 20, 1937. H. c. HILKE 2,087,321

- SPLITTING MACHINE Filed April 1, 1935 z sheetssheet 2 v wellig/fluxlizzy/1111.6

so Y f' FL? 3 INI/.ENTO'R F11/y /fem a .//J//fe BY fdl Maw N A TT ORNE YPatented July 20, 1937 NHTE STTES l orifice 7 Claims.

This invention relates to mill machinery the purpose of which is totrisect log blocks in the production of sectors. Stated generally, theinvention has for its object the provision of irnproved structure forthis purpose which is inexpensive in construction, having increasedelliciency and especially simplied operation.

It is, more particularly, an object of the invention to devise means forsplitting log blocks and lo in furtherance thereof, to provide meanspeculiarly co-acting with power-operated cleaving knives for handlingthe work to locate the same in the splitting plane of the knives.

The foregoing, together with more specific objects and advantages, willbecome apparent in the course of the following detailed description andin the claims annexed thereto, the invention consisting in the novelconstruction, adaptation,

and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation representing the now preferred embodimentof the invention, parts' being broken away and parts shown in longi- Jtudinal vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinalvertical section to an enlarged scale takenthrough the steam cylinder and related structure by means of which thecleaving knives are operated.

.3 Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section detailing theblock-supporting structure and the elevating foot by means of which thelog blocks are located vfor splitting the same.

Fig. 4 is an underside plan View of the splitting knives.

Fig. 5 is a plan View of a log block representing the manner in whichthe same is trisected to produce sectors; and f Y Fig. 6 is a detailview of a slide utilized in Y@ connection with a projection lantern forcasting a shadow in the splitting plane of the knives upon the surfaceof the blocks.

` In a prior application for Letters Patent of the United States ledOctober 10th, r1933, Ser. No.

692,944, now Patent No. 2,051,256 issued Aug. 18, 1936, I illustrated anarrangement employing saws for trisecting logs and described therein thepeculiar advantages ofv trisection as compared with the quarteringmethods generally employed.

5"@ AWhile such saw` arrangement operates to advantage and wasespecially designed `to handle work of relatively extended length, theherein described splitting machine, aside from itssimplifedconstruction, negligible cost of up-keep, and

5545 rapidity of operation, effects a material increase in shingleoutput through an elimination of loss by saw-dust.

Having reference Yto the drawings and particularly to thework-supporting structure, the present invention provides a ring-shapedthrust 5 block, indicated by the numeral and preferably of iron,supported by transverse beams II in spaced disposition above a floor l2upon which the operator stands, said block being formed in its uppersurface with parallel longitudinally ex- 10 tending channels I3 lying atAopposite sides of the annular opening lli which extends in a verticalplane through the block, said channels providing bearing surfaces forthe links of companion endless chains l5 in the travel of the 15 chainsover the thrust-block. The channels are ci a depth to locate the uppersurface of the chains slightly above the surface of the thrustblock, thechains operating about sprocket wheels IB with their travel beingcontrolled by 0 the operator through a suitable clutch arrangement(not'shown).

Slidably supported for vertical movement in the opening I4 oi saidthrust-block and normally lying flush or approximately so as respectsthe 25 surface of the latter is a cap ll rotatively carried by anelevating foot member I8, said foot member being formed at its lower endwith a cylinder acting to receive a piston 26 carried by a stationarybase plate 2l, the chamber of the cylinder above the piston havingcommunication through the piston with a pipe 22 leading through acontrol valve 23 to a pressure source of air supply. VA foot-operatedpedal for the Valve is indicated at 24. Bolts 25 extending through the35 base plate 2l into the foot member I8 operate to limit the elevationof the latter.

Located in spaced disposition above the thrustblock, I provide astationary vertical cylinder 26 within which is a double-acting trunkpiston 21,-the piston carrying a connecting rod 28 on the lower end ofwhich is a splitting head 29.

'Said head, `as indicated, is `formed with three radially disposedblades 3l lying in vertical planes at angles of 120 to one another, theblades having a knife-forming taper at the lower edge which inclinesdownwardly from the outer to the `inner or meeting termini of therespective blades to locate the leading point of the splitting head onVthe axial line of the same.` The blades are desirably formed integral,one with another, with their root ends being fast to a horizontal plateS2 `formed with a hub extension 33 inwhich the Circumferentially f5-5spaced guides 30 are provided to co-act with the connecting rod insupporting the splitting head for reciprocatory vertical movement.

More especially as respects the cylinder 26, said cylinder being of anextended length to obtain momentum in the splitting travel of theblades, the same is formed with steam-admission ports All, 4| andsteam-exhaust ports Q2, 43 in opposite ends, the port 63 being spaced amaterial distance above the lower limits of the piston travel forcushioning purposes and being provided with a rotary valve 44 forregulating the exhaust capacity of the opening. In controlling theadmission and discharge of steam through the ports, I employ slidingvalves 5 and 45 of the doubleported character working at opposite endso-f the cylinder in steam chests l1 and 43, the Valves being designed tooperate through the controlled admission to and discharge from the endchambers of the chests of compressed air. For this purpose I provide amaster valve comprising a spring-pressed piston (not shown) working in acylinder 50 and normally lying, under the iniluence of the spring, tocommunicatively connect a pressure air line 5I with pipes 52 leading tothe upper ends of the steam chests, simultaneously exposing the lowerends of the steam chests to the atmosphere through exhaust pipes 53.Acting in opposition to the spring, a pull rod 54 controlled by theoperator operates the master valve to expose the upper ends of the steamchests to the atmosphere through pipes 55 with pipes 56 beingco-mmunciatively connected with the supply line 5l to supply air underpressure to the lower ends of the chests. Steam pipes to and from thechests are indicated by 5l and 58. To assure collective movement of thevalves d5 and d6, the same are coupled through a connecting rod 59.

In operation the blocks of wood constituting the work and indicated bythe letter W are delivered to the admission end of the conveyor chainwith the chain travel being interrupted as the block lies above thethrust member. The log blocks, following depression of the foot pedal 2dto elevate the foot member I8, clear the chains and are easily handledby the operator tol rotate or slide the same with proper positioningbeing obtained through the use of a projection lantern designed to casta shadow over the surface of the log block. I indicate in Fig. 6 atransparent plate acting as the slide for the lantern and upon thesurface of which lines are painted or otherwise provided. Log blocksused in the production of shingles conventionally are of either 16", 18,or 24" depth which means that the surface of these blocks receiving thesplitting impact of the Vknives will lie in one of threevertically-spaced horizontal planes. Were it feasible to locate ashadow-casting device above and in the vertical center line of the work,single shadows for each of the knives could be used from the fact thatvariation in the plane in which the knife-impinging surface of the worklies would not alter the positionl of the shadow on the work surface, inother words the vertical projection of the shadow would resultintheshadow intersecting each of the three work surfaces in a common verticalplane. It is to be understood, however, that the shadowcasting lanternis located in laterally off-set disposition of the vertical center lineof the work in order that the same may lie out of the path of travel ofthe knives and in order to accommodate this positioning of the lantern Iform the slide used therewith such as to provide a medial line adap-tedto lie in the longitudinal plane of the particular splitting knife whichis disposed longitudinally as respects the direction of work feed and,co-active therewith, provide on the slide three companion pairs of linesto extend laterally of the medial line at angles of to the same, thelines of each of said pairs which lie at the same side of the medialline being disposed parallel to one another and to the plane of theknife related thereto and spaced from one another relatively with thevarious depths of the blocks whereby to cast shadows, the slide beingsupported obliquely, which intersect the related plane of aknife-impinging work surface in the vertical plane of the related knife.More especially, the medial line which extends the approximate length ofthe slide projects a shadow which is used by the operator in positioningeach of the three block depths while the laterally extending angularlines project shadows which are selectively used in that each pair ofthe same accommodates a particular depth of block.

The blocks normally are placed to locate the core of the same in theaxial center of the splitting head. Where a portion of the block isspongy or otherwise marred, the block is disposed such that the faultysection lies in the space between two of the knives in a manner toremove the faulty portion only. The knives readily cleave knots and,through the design of the splitting head which acts to initiate thesplit in the center of 'the block at a point common to each of theseveral blades, the line of split is substantially rectilineal. Themomentum of the head requires movement of the knives through a minorportion only of the block, the splitting shock of the blades, followingoperation of the pull rod 5A to locate the valves l5 and l as shown withan admission of steam to the upper end of the cylinder 2B, beingtransmitted through the chain links on which the work rests to thethrust-block I0.

The machine is particularly designed for the purpose of trisecting thelog blocks but obviously might be used to advantage for quarterng or asmight otherwise be desired.

Modications of the invention will readily suggest themselves and Iaccordingly intend-that the appended claims be given the breadth intheir construction which is commensurate with the scope of the inventionwithin the art.

What I claim, is:-

1. In a machine for splitting log sections, in combination with asplitting knife arranged for reciprocatory movement in a vertical plane,a block channeled in its upper surface and located below the knife forsupporting the work in the path of travel of the knife, a conveyor chainfor the work arranged for movement through the channel of the block tolocate the upper surface of the chain above the surface of the block,and power-operated elevating means journaled for rotary movement to liftthe work from the chain to facilitate regulation of the work inpositioning the same relative to the splitting plane of the knife.

2. In a machine for splitting log sections, in combination with asplitting knife arranged for reciprocatory movement in a vertical plane,a thrust-receiving member located below the knife for supporting theWork in the path of travel of the knife, and vertically-movableelevating means normally disposed below the work-supporting surface ofthe thrust-receiving member and disposed co-axially as respects thesplitting knife for elevating the work from the surface of the block,said elevating means being journaled for rotary movement and operatingto facilitate regulation of the work in positioning the same relative tothe splitting plane of the knife.

3. In a machine for splitting log sections, in combination with asplitting knife arranged for reciprocatory movement in a vertical plane,nonrotary thrust-receiving means located in the ver# tical plane of theknife adapted to support the work, and means independent of saidthrust-receiving means normally supported below the worksupportingsurface of the same and arranged to elevate the work above thework-supporting surface of the thrust-receiving meansto facilitateregulation of the work in positioning the work relative tothe splittingplane of the knife.

4. In a splitting machine adapted for use with varying standard depthsof log sections, the combination of a splitting head arranged forreciprocatory movement in a vertical plane and formed with a pluralityof blades extending angularly from one another radially of the axialcenter of the head, a work-support disposed below the head to locate thework in the path of travel of the head, and means operating tofacilitate regulation of the varying standard depths of log sections onsaid support for positioning the same relative to the splitting planescf the blades, said means comprising a transparent slide adapted for usewith a projection lantern and provided on its surface withlongitudinally spaced sets: of lines, the lines of each o-f said setsbeing disposed at angles to one another conforming to the angularrelativity between the blades with the related lines of the several setsbeing disposed in parallel planes, said plural sets of lines operatingto. accommodate location of the lantern` above the blade-impingingsurface of the supported work and laterally of the splitting head tocast plural longitudinally spaced sets of shadows at an oblique angle tothe path of travel of the splitting head in defining Work-regulatinglines upon the surface of the work, a selected set of which are used bythe operator according to the depth of the block being split.

5. In a machine for splitting log sections of variable predeterminedlengths, in combination with a splitting head arranged for reciprocatoryVertical movement and providing a plurality of blades disposed angularlyof one another in fixed vertical planes, a support for the work disposedbelow the blades to locate the blade-impinging surfaces of the severaldepths of work in predetermined vertically-spaced horizontal planes, andmeans disposed above the work and in laterally oiset disposition of theline of travel of the splitting blades to facilitate regulation of thework on the support for locating the work relative to the splittingplanes of the blades, said means comprising a transparent slide formedwith plural sets of lines thereon and adapted for use with a source oflight to cast obliquely-projected shadows upon the blade-impingingsurface of the supported work, said sets of lines being disposed toproject selectively used shadows which severally define, in theintersected horizontal planes in which the blade-mpinging surfaces ofthe several depths of work lie, the splitting planes 0f the blades.

6. In a machine for splitting log sections, in combination with asplitting knife arranged for reciprocatory vertical movement, means forsupporting the work in the vertical plane of the knife travel and actingto receive the thrust of the knife in the splitting action of the same,and means relatively co--axial with the knife and independent of thelast-named means for elevating the work above the surface of thesupporting means for positioning the work relative to the knife, saidpositioning means having, as respects the diameter of the work, aproportionately smaller surface area to facilitate movement of the workrelative to the positioning means.

7. A machine for splitting log sections comprising the Vcombination of awork-support, a splitting head arranged for reciprocatory movement intoand from the space occupied by the supported work, said head providing aplurality of fixed splitting blades extending radially from the axialcenter of the head, and means by which shadows, designating lines whichlie in the path of reciprccatory travel of the radially disposedsplitting blades, are cast on the surface of the supported work, saidshadows acting as gages to facilitate a location of the work in definitecorelation to the blades of the splitting head to have such bladesstrike the work on predetermined lines, the splitting head beingguidably supported against rotary movement to maintain the path oftravel of the blades in constant planes to which the cast shadows arerelated.

HENRY C. HILKE.

